Page 31 of A Rising Hope (The Freckled Fate #3)

31

FINNLEAH

T he swords were fucking heavy. My back hunched over as I rested the massive blades on my shoulders.

I paused in my journey, wiping my sweaty forehead. The golden seas of wheat gently swayed at the playful stroke of the wind. Not a single cloud in the bright azure sky above me. The sun lingered behind for hours, gifting extra minutes to the earth, basking it in the warm late summer glow after the days in the icy darkness.

A single dot on the horizon grew larger, and I shielded my eyes away from the sun to inspect it. Tall stalks of wheat brushed my thighs as I tilted my head up high, watching it grow almost incautiously larger, until the precarious glass-like creature came into my sight from a simple blimp of reflection. My lips stretched in a wide smile, mirroring that of the angelic girl saddled on a giant dragonfly hovering straight above me.

“I heard you needed a ride?” Aurelia shouted through the buzzing. I held on tighter to the stack of papers hidden under my oversized shirt as the gusts of wind from the dragonfly wings ruffled my hair. She dropped a thick rope, and I climbed it, grunting under the weight of the metal. Aurelia reached for me, helping me slide the swords in the metal buckles, securing them tightly before I hopped into the seat.

“You have no idea how happy I am to see you, ReyRey.” I chuckled, double checking swords by my side after I had secured myself in.

“Same.” The seventeen-year-old girl grinned.

“Did Xentar let you fly this thing all on your own?” I smiled skeptically at her as she handed me flying goggles. “I thought I wrote the letter addressed to him.” Though my tone was sparked with delight, a feeling of terror recoiled through me, realizing that perhaps there was another reason why Aurelia was here and not Xentar. Of the damage those shadows must have caused. My previously joyful feeling melted away. I was glad I was sitting behind her, so she wouldn’t notice the furrowed brows and deep frown etched on my face.

“Is everyone okay?” I dared to ask, buckling the last snap of the helmet.

“Everyone is okay now ,” Aurelia replied, her voice too nonchalant, too calm, and I didn’t fail to notice the little shudder that flashed through her. The muscle in my temple twitched.

The Queen would pay for that, too.

“Aurelia, I am so sorry,” I started, unsure of what to say, unsure of how to comfort the young woman. Words suddenly stuck in my throat from the wave of emotions, feeling so suddenly inadequate, so unequipped to heal the world.

I didn’t know how to fix the broken hearts.

I didn’t know how to nourish the souls lost to despair.

I didn’t know how to fix the gloomy reality of the world. I didn’t even know how to face the grim reality alone. Swallowing the flash of panic, I froze.

I didn’t know what I was doing. I didn’t know how I’d do it. But I held on to that flicker of hope within me, burning, unwavering.

One day, perhaps, not today, maybe not even tomorrow, but one day. One day, the sorrows shall dwindle, one day the darkness shall disband, and all the scars shall fade. The memory of that young mother flashed in my mind as I blinked. Yes, amid the darkness, she had hoped, and so would I.

The time where all I had to do was not fall had passed.

No, I had to rise. I had to hope. For her. For them. For myself.

I had to lead.

“Aurelia, I—” I opened my mouth.

“Did you know I speak crow now?” Aurelia mumbled quickly, changing the topic, and my heart ached at that notion, so I played along.

“You do?” My tone shifted a notch, the upbeat melody we both now played as we talked.

“Yes, you know when the shadows swallowed the world, bird watching became quite the hard hobby to have. So, naturally, I had to pick a new one.” She adjusted her seatbelt at the waist, wiggling in the seat after what must have been a rushed and rapid flight. “Liriya was a good teacher. We’d screech crow so loud we could almost ignore all the screaming around. I wished my own parents had learned, but it was hard to teach them while they were . . . lost in their screams. Though my mother tried.” Aurelia’s words sent a chill down my bones.

I swallowed hard.

“Aurelia—”

“But check this out,” she interrupted by cawing loudly in what sounded like a phrase of some sort. Her voice mimicked the bird’s call without flaw. She pointed with her chin in the air. On command, the demon-bird appeared with a brash clap of her wings. “A neat trick, don’t you think?” Aurelia turned to me, grinning, very proud of her skill. As she should be.

“Very impressive.” I nodded, mouthing a silent thank you to the bird, who had kept the ethereal girl safe through the darkness and the haunted mist of nightmares.

Liriya hovered in the air, impatiently waiting, cawing something in reply.

“She says get your ass moving,” Aurelia said, reaching for the reins.

“Aurelia, language!” I laughed, shaking my head, but she just shrugged.

“Tell that to the bird. I am just translating.”

“Well, lead the way then.” My knuckles turned white, holding on for dear life as Aurelia pulled on the reins, steering the dragonfly straight into the sky. With a loud squeal from her and from me, we launched into a rapid flight towards the sun.